Five Months at Anzac | Page 8

formed by planks covered with sandbags and loose
earth. Stanchions of 4 x 4 in. timber were driven into the ground, with
crosspieces at a convenient height; the stretcher was placed on these,
and thus an operating table was formed. Shelves were made to hold our
instruments, trays and bottles; these were all in charge of Staff-Sergeant
Henderson, a most capable and willing assistant. Close by a kitchen
was made, and a cook kept constantly employed keeping a supply of
hot water, bovril, milk and biscuits ready for the men when they came
in wounded, for they had to be fed as well as medically attended to.

INCIDENTS AND YARNS
One never ceased admiring our men, and their cheeriness under these
circumstances and their droll remarks caused us many a laugh. One
man, just blown up by a shell, informed us that it was a ---- of a
place--'no place to take a lady.' Another told of the mishap to his
"cobber," who picked up a bomb and blew on it to make it light; "all at
once it blew his ---- head off--Gorblime! you would have laughed!" For
lurid and perfervid language commend me to the Australian Tommy.
Profanity oozes from him like music from a barrel organ. At the same
time, he will give you his idea of the situation, almost without
exception in an optimistic strain, generally concluding his observation
with the intimation that "We gave them hell." I have seen scores of
them lying wounded and yet chatting one to another while waiting their
turn to be dressed. The stretcher-bearers were a fine body of men. Prior
to this campaign, the Army Medical Corps was always looked upon as
a soft job. In peacetime we had to submit to all sorts of flippant
remarks, and were called Linseed Lancers, Body-snatchers, and other
cheery and jovial names; but, thanks to Abdul and the cordiality of his
reception, the A.A.M.C. can hold up their heads with any of the
fighting troops. It was a common thing to hear men say: "This beach is
a hell of a place! The trenches are better than this." The praises of the
stretcher-bearers were in all the men's mouths; enough could not be
said in their favour. Owing to the impossibility of landing the transport,
all the wounded had to be carried; often for a distance of a mile and a
half, in a blazing sun, and through shrapnel and machine-gun fire. But
there was never a flinch; through it all they went, and performed their
duty. Of our Ambulance 185 men and officers landed, and when I
relinquished command, 43 remained. At one time we were losing so
many bearers, that carrying during the day-time was abandoned, and
orders were given that it should only be undertaken after night-fall. On
one occasion a man was being sent off to the hospital ship from our tent
in the gully. He was not very bad, but he felt like being carried down.
As the party went along the beach, Beachy Bill became active; one of
the bearers lost his leg, the other was wounded, but the man who was
being carried down got up and ran! All the remarks I have made
regarding the intrepidity and valour of the stretcher-bearers apply also

to the regimental bearers. These are made up from the bandsmen. Very
few people think, when they see the band leading the battalion in
parade through the streets, what happens to them on active service.
Here bands are not thought of; the instruments are left at the base, and
the men become bearers, and carry the wounded out of the front line for
the Ambulance men to care for. Many a stretcher-bearer has deserved
the V.C.
One of ours told me they had reached a man severely wounded in the
leg, in close proximity to his dug-out. After he had been placed on the
stretcher and made comfortable, he was asked whether there was
anything he would like to take with him. He pondered a bit, and then
said: "Oh! you might give me my diary--I would like to make a note of
this before I forget it!"
It can be readily understood that in dealing with large bodies of men,
such as ours, a considerable degree of organization is necessary, in
order to keep an account, not only of the man, but of the nature of his
injury (or illness, as the case may be) and of his destination. Without
method chaos would soon reign. As each casualty came in he was
examined, and dressed or operated upon as the necessity arose.
Sergeant Baxter then got orders from the officer as to where the case
was to be sent. A ticket was made out, containing the man's name, his
regimental number, the